16
Arbor and Bird Day Annual
ANTHEM FOR ARBOR DAY.
(Tune: "America.")
Joy for the sturdy trees!
Fanned by each fragrant breeze,
Lovely they stand!
The song birds o'er them trill
They shade each tinkling rill,
They crowd each swelling hill,
Lowly and grand.
Plant them by stream and way,
Plant where the children play
And toilers rest,
In every verdant vale,
On every sunny swale,
Whether to grow or fail,—
God knoweth best.
Select the strong, the fair,
Plant them, with earnest care,—
No toil is vain.
Plant in a fitter place,
Where, like a lovely face,
Let in some sweeter grace,
Change may prove gain.
God will his blessing send—
All things on him depend.
His loving care
Clings to each leaf and flower
Like ivy to its tower.
His presence and his power
Are everywhere.
—Samuel F. Smith.
